Rail-bond.



' Patented-Jul 9, 19m. H. c. WADE.

RAIL BOND (No Model.)

[52 06:22 fir". m u 6515062 wa UIYMIMN WASUNGTON D C U ITED STATES PATENT @FFICE.

HARRY CLIFFORD \VADE, OF AURORA, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF THREE- FOURTHS TO J. D. PRICE AND ALEXANDER O. MILLER, OF SAME PLACE, AND HENRY V. MILLER, OF BLOOMINGTON, ILLINOIS.

RAIL-BOND.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 678,076, dated July 9, 1901. Application filed January 17,1901. Serial No. 43,567. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that LHARRY CLIFFORD WADE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Aurora, in the county of Kane and State of Illinois,have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Rail-Bonds, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to rail-bonds for elec-- trically'connecting rails-such, for instance, as the track-rails of railroads.

My object is to provide a bond of exceedingly simple construction, which is perfectly adapted to the purpose of electrically joining rails, and which will not in use become separated from the rail or loosened from its socket.

My invention is illustrated in the accompa n'ying drawings, in Which Figure 1 is a broken'view showing one form of the bond; Fig. 2, a perspective view showing one end of another form of bond; Fig. 3, a perspective view of one end of the bond shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 4, an end view of the bond shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 5, a perspective sectional View illustrating the manner in which the bond is caused to enter the perforation provided for it in a rail; Fig; 6, a similar view showing the bond driven into its socket; and Fig. 7, a View similar to Fig. 6, but showing the extremity of the bond bent upwardly to prevent the possibility of loosening.

The bond comprises a body portion A and taper ends 13. In the form shown in Figs. 1 and 3 the ends 13 have flat taper surfaces, and in the form shown in Figs. 2, 5, '6, and 7 the ends are concavo-convex. The bond may be conveniently formed from a section or length of wire, the ends of which may be flattened or stamped to the desired *form. In use the taper end will be wrapped or partially wrapped about the adjacent portion of the body of the bond, as illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6. For this purpose each end of the bond is bent back upon the body portion, as illustrated in Fig. 5.

C represents a rail-section, the same being supplied with a perforation a, which is preferably of greater diameter than the body A. The preferred manner of forming the connection is to pass one end of the bond through the perforation a, bend the taper'end of the bond back upon the body portion of the bond, drive the head thus formed into the perforation a, and finally bend the extremity of the taper end, as illustrated in Fig. 7. It will thus be seen that the taper end forms a wedge by means of which a tight joint maybe effected and that the extremity of the taper end may be employed as a retainer to prevent withdrawal of the wedge.

In the preferred construction the ends of the wire section from which the bond is to be formed will be shaped as illustrated in Fig. 2, it being possible to give the required formation to an end of the bond by a single stamping operation. It will be understood, however, that it is possible to accomplish the purpose of this invention by employing as a bond a wire having flat taper surfaces at its ends, the same being bent back upon the body portion and given the required curve after the ends of the bond have been inserted through the perforations provided therefor in the rails which are to be joined. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that a bond of this character can be readily employed to unite the adjacent ends of two rails, each of the rails being provided with a perforation for receiving an end of thebond.

The gist of the invention lies in providing taper ends for the bond, bending the ends back upon the adjacent portion of the body of the bond, and employing the same as wedges for effecting tight joints. Simplicity and cheapness of construction andhandiness in effecting a joint are secured by forming the wedges integral with the body portion of the bond.

What I claim as new,and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. A rail-bond having taper ends adapted to serve as wedges when said ends are bent back upon the adjacent portions of the body of the bond, substantially as described.

2. A rail-bond having a taper end-formed integrally with the body of the bond and adapted to serve as a wedge when said end is bent back upon the body of the bond, substantially as described.

3. A rail-bond comprising a body portion and taper ends formed integrally therewith and bent back upon adjacent portions of the body, said taper ends serving as wedges, sub' stantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. A rail-bond having a body portion and a taper end formed integrally with said body upon the body portion and affording wedges, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

6. The combination with a rail provided with a perforation, of a rail-bond having a body portion and a taper end formed integrallytherewith and bent'back upon the body portion, the head thus formed being driven into said perforation, and the extremity of I 5 said taper end being bent to prevent with- ;drawal, substantially as andfor the purpose 'set forth.

HARRY CLIFFORD WADE. In presence of M. S. MACKENZIE, ALBERT D. BAooI. 

